Volcano Bay Opens At Universal Orlando; New ‘TapuTapu’ System Experiences Glitches

Volcano Bay, the newest water park at Universal Orlando Resort, opened on Thursday to large crowds and several technical problems. The park’s introduction of their TapuTapu wristband’s did not alleviate wait times for rides in the way the park creators imagined they would.

The TapuTapu wristband, much like the wristband’s introduced in other theme parks around the country, are electronic devices that allow customers to store their credit card information and ticket information so they don’t have to cary cash around the park. The TapuTapu wristband is unique in that it allows customers to check into rides and receive a call back time, rather than wait in line.

While waiting for their call back time, vacationers can enjoy the park’s other amenities, including the river, food and tropical drinks.

On opening day, riders arrived at their call back time only to find there were still lines they had to wait in.

“We know there were some opening-day glitches and we’re working hard to resolve them,” Tom Schroder, a spokesman for Universal told the Orlando Sentinel. “We are also working especially hard to take care of our guests. We are sorry for any inconvenience we’ve caused them and we are grateful for their patience with us.”

Schroder also added that “thousands of our guests had exactly the kind of great experience they came to Volcano Bay to have today.”

Volcano Bay’s main attraction is the 200-foot Volcano located in the middle of the park. Rather than scorching lava, water runs down the massive structure’s sides.

Despite the fact that the TapuTapu greatly reduced the amount of time that people would have to wait in line, it didn’t necessarily mean customers wouldn’t have to wait at all. Some of the more popular rides had five-hour call back times. Also causing long waits was the fact that rider’s could only reserve one ride at a time – meaning customers couldn’t check into a new ride until they had completed the ride they were currently checked into.

Still, once customers arrived to the lines, their wait times were only around 30 minutes, a great reduction from the one to two hours popular rides’ lines take in theme parks across the country.

As park officials gain more experience with the TapuTapu system, it seems the wristband will greatly reduce wait time in lines across the water park. If successful, the TapuTapu system will likely be utilized in theme parks across the country.